Madame Xanadu
Madame Xanadu is known as one of the most acurate oracles in whole New York's Occult scene. It is easy finding the dark haired woman in the 30's with her green eyes. Her liking for golden or brass jewelry is quite obvious and she is often seen in dresses and evening gowns, although overalls happen too. A common rumor is, that since she opened her Shop "Hocus, Pocus & Curioso" at Christy Street 616, Greenwich Village in the 1940's she did not age a single day. In the magic scene, she is known to have contacts to the Shadowpact and at some point have been member of the sentinals of magic. Her M.O. is mostly indirect and through advice, but direct actions of her are not unheard of. Background In Ancient Times she was known as the nymph Nimue, a Fae of the Eldritch Folk, sister to Morgaine le Fay. Another of her Sisters was Vivienne, The Lady of the Lake, who was born first while Nimue was youngest of the three of them. When Atlantis sank the surviving atlanteans came to the land of Oberon and Titania, the rulers of the Elder Folk, and became the first homo magi in the world. Soon Mankind also began to settle and Morgaine grew a very special interest in their affairs - their bloodshed among each other especially. This affection led to Morganie's banishment from the sacred woods eventually, separating her from her loved sibling Nimue. As King Arthur ruled, she became the lover of Merlin, a half-demon wizard, for a time but when Mordred assaulted Camelot she bewitched her lover and bound him into a place. However he got his revenge and with his very last spell he robbed her of most her magic, leaving her as just a human witch. Having lost her immortality the same time, she had to rely on her alchemical knowledge to keep her youth and lengthening her life. Besides Potions all that retained of her former powers were hexes and the reading of signs. But this last part began with the meeting of a powerful stranger. She left England during the viking invasions, always wandering east. Centuries later, in the Far East, at the court of Kublai Khan, she became the Western Seer, the Oracle of Xanadu. Reading the future from the stars and cards, she advised the Khan at times. When the Polos were in the Far East in 1291, she helped the youngest of them to defile a conspiracy. The reward Marco Polo got - a lamp of jade - reignighted some of her former power, but eventually she had to flee the lads of Xanadu the same night. And again the stranger was involved. In 1493 she had reached Spain, but she had to flee it when Inquisition hunted her down for witchery. Years later, in the time of baroque, she had settled in France. Under the name Madame of Xanadu she became the seer for Marie Antoinette, the wife of Louis XVI, in 1782 for some time. Tarot had become her art to see the future by now, using a deck she created over a century alone. But she foresaw the French revolution and left the court. She left into the Provence, living a quiet life for the time of four years, however ending in the jails of the revolution nevertheless. In great despair and lack of her longevity potions she took the only chance she had, summoning Death to her prison. Dealing the cards for herself while Death watched, she gained her (Death's) promise not to visit her again for natural reasons. Although still aged, she was once again immortal now. And again some of her former powers came back to her, this time to stay. Fleeing prison with her regained fading she brewed a potion of youth, having visions of the future. And again the Stranger had revealed himself in the process. In November 1888 she was once again in England. Jack the Ripper was raging the streets. Trying to help the police to arrest the villain, she failed as again the Stranger appeared and distracted her from seeing Jack strike. Even if she failed to bring Jack to justice - the stranger drowned the investigating Police officer who was jack the ripper in the sewers - she managed to gather some of the strangers shroud. By 1940 she had settled over to America for some time. In New York she came in contact with Giovanni "John" Zatara, Homo Magi and later father of Zatana Zatara, and at times had an affair with him, however declining his proposal to marry him as she foresaw his future. And once again she was confronted by the stranger, this time in his own realm. The result was however not as planned for either side - the stranger was unable to ask Nimue - Madame Xanadu - to join his side, nor was she able to hurt him for he had hurt her heart too much in each of their meetings. However the clash ended her relation with Gioanni Zarara and she foresaw a spirit of vengeance coming over earth through her own actions later. To expidate her misdeeds she vowed that she would offer her assistance to those who would ask her for it, and thus she opened up a small shop in Greenwich Village under the name Madame Xanadu In 1940 she met the Sandman while chasing down an Ifrit. The restless spirit had evolved from the same inquisitor's soul that had hunted her and in the end she put it to rest in a jar. A couple of years later, in 1957, a woman consulted her, as her body got transformed. Although she was able to still the transformation for a time and began to investigate, this was not the end. During the investigation she came across Detective Jones. Still Mrs. Reynolds changes were faster than she could find the source for them. However the source came to her, revealing that she had been turned into a new body Nimue's Sister Morgaine Le Fay. She claimed responsibility for the world wars and told she was about to start a final third one as revenge for Mordred's death, before she destroyed Madame Xanadu's Shop over her head. After she destruction of her shop Mr. Jones came to consult her, freeing her of the rubble that buried her. Together they investigated further, in the end besting Morgainie and banishing her from the body of Mrs Reynolds. From 1963 and 1964 she aided several people who had extrasensory visions. Although she was not able to help in each case she was in a majority. Besides those cases she was able to bring the soul of a deceased boy to rest and banish a succubus from earth. For similar events in 1966 a young woman - Charlotte Blackwood - consulted her, learning that she would not be able to shut down her powers to read what impression was lingering on items she tasted. A short time later she became her first apprentice in all her life, learning the arts. In the next year once again the Stranger steps into her life and even if their relation is most frosted, he asks her for a consultation about the upcoming age of new heroes. They come to terms that she would advise anyone that knocks her door before the stranger once again vanishes. During the Day of Vengeance she was blinded by the Spectre and she was unable to overcome this as long as it was on its boundless cursade against all magic. Because of this blindness, Madame Xanadu had taken on a woman adept in the arts of magic; to be her eyes until she could find a way to see once more, the girl was named Daena and a quick study at that. The Spectre's charm on her still holds to this day, 14 times she gained enough power to regain her sight, and 14 times the Specter's charm too it away. Madame Xanadu has learned to live with this impairment, however, even though she still searches for the 'cure' to regain her sight. Personality Friendly - Maybe it is her age, maybe it is her job as a shopkeeper, maybe it is her nature, but she is friendly to the people that meet her if she has no good reason not to be. Helpful - Helping people had always been in her nature since she spotted humans for the first time millennia ago and she has not stopped to do now. Curious - Although she had worked on this for millennia, she is by heart still a bit curious, investigating things on her own. Vengeful - There is nothing as dreadful as a betrayed woman, and Madame Xanadu is not an exception of this. Betraying her or neglecting her results in her being mad at people for a very long time - the Phantom stranger is one of those that face her dislike and he does since at least 300 years. Logs First Player *2012-11-18 - Advice from the Stars - Starfire stops by on her quest for feeding Mustard to chickens *2013-02-23 - Past and Future - Arc drops in before a rain, receiving an advice. *2013-02-25 - The Enemy: You Can't Spell Death Without T(ea) - When Death visits someone to whom she promised not to go and take her when she would beg for it, then there is a dire need in the universe. *2013-02-25 - Tea, Sandwich and Hints - A first meeting between Madame Xanadu and Supergirl. *2013-04-30 - Path of the Spider - Peter Parker and Aunt May are out shopping, stumbling over the shop of Arcane - TBC Second Player *2013-10-22 - Unexpected Advice - Clint Barton is taken unexpectedly into Madame Xanadu's shop. They talk of his past, his present and his future. Too bad he doesn't believe in fortune telling. Gallery Madame Xanadu 09.jpg|When Camelot fell Madame Xanadu 10.jpg Madame Xanadu 16.jpg|Back in mongolia time Madame Xanadu 15.jpg Madame Xanadu 17.jpg|Back in the 40's Madame Xanadu 11.jpg|in the 60's Madame Xanadu 12.jpg Madame Xanadu 07.jpg|During the Day of Vengeance Madame Xanadu 13.jpg Madame Xanadu 19.jpg Madame Xanadu 20.jpg Madame Xanadu 18.jpg Madame Xanadu 06.jpg Madame Xanadu 08.jpg Madame Xanadu 05.jpg Madame Xanadu 04.jpg Madame Xanadu 03.jpg Madame Xanadu 02.jpg Madame Xanadu 01.jpg Madame Xanadu 14.jpg Category:DC Feature Category:DC Hero Category:New York City Category:DC Available